Italian Grand Prix betting tips and F1 predictions: Tsunoda could add to AlphaTauri tally

Where to watch the Italian Grand Prix weekend

Practice one & two Sky Sports F1, 12.30pm & 4pm Friday

Practice three & qualifying Sky Sports F1, 3pm Saturday

Race Sky Sports F1, 2pm Sunday

Best bets

Yuki Tsunoda points finish
1pts 11-2 Hills

Italian Grand Prix race predictions

Max Verstappen overcame tricky weather conditions and a strategy faux pas to continue his winning streak in front of his home fans last week, so the "curse of Monza" will not faze him at all.

The Italian Grand Prix winners of 2019, 2020 and 2021 all failed to finish at Monza the following year, and in his current form black magic looks as likely to stop the Dutch destroyer, who won at the track last year, as anything else.

Verstappen took his winning run to a record-equalling nine grand prix victories at Zandvoort last week, as intermittent rain caught out many of his rivals and the Red Bull ace was joined by Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly on an unlikely podium.

The most disappointed of those who slipped up will be the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. As he had at Silverstone, Norris battled hard for pole position while Piastri clearly had the potential to improve significantly on his eighth-place grid slot.

The team made a leap forward with a major upgrade mid-season, but it is unclear whether the high-speed nature of Monza will suit them. Spa in Belgium is usually a good indicator, but McLaren opted to gamble on a wet-weather set-up there this year, so it may pay to look for clues from practice before backing their drivers.

Ferrari will hope for better in front of their adoring fans after another frustrating weekend, and with Charles Leclerc having started from pole position in Baku and Spa, there certainly looks to be potential for a strong showing.

Fellow Italian-based team AlphaTauri prop up the constructors' standings, but Yuki Tsunoda could be a value call to add a point or two to their meagre tally.

The arrival of hot prospect Liam Lawson in the second seat, in place of injured Daniel Ricciardo, should sharpen Tsunoda's focus. The Japanese racer's tenth-place finishes in Azerbaijan and Belgium point to potential at Monza.

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